Data security threats continue to increase in number and sophistication. The growing use of collaborative technologies – from mobile devices and social media to virtualization and cloud computing – will continue to be one of the most significant factors impacting the security landscape. For these reasons, the federal government has increased efforts to minimize and prevent cyber security attacks, and will continue to place signific...

SolarWinds, a leading provider of IT Management and Monitoring Software, in partnership with Market Connections, a leading government-focused, custom research firm, recently released results of the 3rd annual Federal Cybersecurity Survey, identifying the biggest barriers to improving IT security. Federal IT decision makers responding to the survey for the first time felt threats from foreign governments now equal threats from careless/untraine...

Enterprise Architecture has become one of the pillars of the federal IT world to help make operations run smoothly, seamlessly and maneuver easily. No matter what technology is touted, or how service oriented and agile the applications are -- especially cloud-based or SAAS environments -- technology systems must be designed and implemented to support the business or mission and enable processes. If integrated IT systems don't work or fail, the...

In 1996 Congress enacted the Clinger-Cohen Act, which after becoming law, instituted a process across the federal government that required Chief Information Officers to implement technology in the context of an Architecture. By 2002 OMB was leading the effort to identify opportunities to simplify processes and unify work across agencies with the goal of maximizing technology investments to deliver a more citizen-centered, customer focused gove...

With the overwhelming growth of digital information, the scope of electronic records management has expanded exponentially and is an increasingly critical issue for government agencies, particularly as it relates to being able to provide secure storage, access, and retrieval of this information. The 2012 OMB Managing Government Records Directive put NARA in charge of the effort with the goal of having all permanent records stored electronicall...

Every year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are raising the FISMA requirements to achieve the ultimate goal of “Near-Real-Time System Security Awareness” and “Ongoing Authorization.” Additionally, they are making available automated security solutions to improve our protection and security awareness for our systems. How do you project, plan and program for these requir...

The volume of information that federal agencies manage continues to grow exponentially, making the job of controlling and governing it more and more difficult. We are quickly realizing the need to construct a control framework specifically to address the risks posed by information management. This framework is a vital component of an Information Governance program. Just as the title "Truth or Dare" implies: It’s not enough to assume agen...

Government agencies have their IT, business and program teams accessing and integrating data from a wide variety of sources to better support the agency’s mission. Substantial emphasis has been placed on data collaboration and integration efforts. But how do you know if your agency efforts have been successful? With agency data integrated, data quality issues like incomplete records, duplicates, and errors are more prevalent than ever. W...

Cloud Computing continues to grow in importance in the public sector. Agency personnel responsible for developing and implementing cloud-based solutions -- for implementing data center consolidation and other technology efficiencies -- continue to look for opportunities to learn about the best technologies, configurations, service and deployment models and appropriate mix of cloud services -- based on their government agency requirements. Digi...

Mark your calendar to join us on the opening day of the 2nd annual Government Customer Service Days to hear the current state and future directions of government service delivery. Customer service experts from the U. S. Office of Management and Budget, Government Contact Center Council, award-winning Richland County, South Carolina Development Services, and the Government Customer Service Community of Practice will share their views on today's...